WITH all due respect Kira Puru isn’t your stereotypical pop star.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There’s no multiple wardrobe changes. No army of back-up dancers and choreographed routines. She doesn’t present like an Instagram model.
But what Puru comes armed with are some bloody sweet and hooky pop tunes.
Last Friday night the prodigal Cardiff-raised performer returned home from Melbourne to unveil her new dance-pop direction at the Cambridge Hotel.
It was the first time most Newcastle punters had a chance to hear Puru perform the new material, which has been written for a forthcoming EP.
Earlier in the evening, Newcastle’s Morgana Osaki performed with her expanded seven-person band that presented the minimalist instrumentation of just a drummer, saxophonist, keyboardist and Osaki’s occasional harp.
Instead the sound was fleshed out by four backing vocalists and Osaki’s voice. It made for an intriguing visual. Especially with one male backing singer dressed in a brown trench coat.
It was a shambolic opening. The complicated vocal harmonies were out of sync and sounded under rehearsed and we appeared headed for a train wreck.
Osaki stopped the second song mid-way through and recommenced and from there the set improved massively. The harmonies found their rhythm and audience became transfixed by the hypnotic fusion of jazz, electronica and world music influences.
From the minute Puru bounded onto the stage with a cry of “Newy bra” you knew this was going to be a high-energy performance.
Many members of the Newcastle music community like Campbell Burns (Vacations), Demi Mitchell, Grace Turner and Nicholas Connors were out in force to honour one of their contemporaries who through sheer persistence and talent sprung from local pubs to share national stages with Paul Kelly, Illy and The Rubens.
Puru commanded the stage dressed in a black suit and was joined by a machine-like drummer, bassist and backing tape.
The new material was a steep departure from the smoky blues and jazz Puru was first renown for during her stint fronting Newcastle band The Bruise.
This was funky, party-based, heavily inspired by the ’80s, but still maintaining a bluesy backbone. Somewhere between Prince and Tina Turner.
There was a track written by fellow Novocastrian come New York-based music producer Jamieson Shaw, entitled She Bang, which Puru described as being about, “banging someone you shouldn’t.”
There was another inspired by “Lionel Richie and break-up sex”, which had a chorus reminiscent of Madonna’s Holiday.
It was all very cheeky, and most importantly, fun. Puru had a blast too, shaking her hips and sharing smiles with the audience.
The nine-song set ended with Puru’s two singles Tension and newest track Molotov, which had the half-filled Cambridge dancing and singing along.
But the highlight came three songs from the end. Teach You How To Fly, written about joining the mile-high club, is a pure dance floor filler. It’s funky as hell. Puru might have a genuine hit on her hands there.
Puru possibly took a major gamble moving away from her established blues sound to become a dance-pop artist. But if Friday’s show is any indication, the stylistic shift will pay dividends.